When you're in Paris, here is a "secret" park to visit. And while you are thinking about it, enroll on my tour to Paris and Barcelona (june 26 - July 4, 2016). If you reserve your spot with $300, not only will you get a glass of your favorite wine on me, if you're the first one to enroll, you'll also win a bottle of champagne. Everyone who enrolls by August 31 will get $50 off the tour price, just enough for one of the excursions! email me (jackiwjones@gmail.com) if you have questions!
https://bonjourparis.com/parks-and-gardens/secret-paris-parks-la-petite-ceinture-in-the-15th-arrondissement/
France 2022
Old Town Nice, France
03 August 2015
20 July 2015
22 June 2015
What if...?
Bonjour tout le monde!
And a happy Monday to you all. I am feeling just a bit philosophical this morning, so bear with me.
Today's question is "What if...?"
What if you could do what you want without fear? If money were no option? If you could wave a magic wand and change a thing or two?
Would you travel more? Spend more time with friends and family? Do something totally different with your life? It's an interesting proposition, isn't it?
My what if ? If I could, I would have something that allowed me to speak French and travel and get paid for it (bien sur!). I'm a teacher, what if I could do training and teaching wherever I wanted to be. I would have a beautiful new kitchen, oh, since I'm dreaming, I would have a beautiful new house in the same spot - those Pinterest photos would finally be of my rooms!
What if I could have a place in Paris? Just enough space for Michael and me to stay for a couple of weeks whenever we wanted. Charm, but just modern enough for my husband.
What if Michael had meetings that took us to our favorite spots? the Pacific Northwest, and also the Atlantic Coast, with stops in Houston, or wherever else we wanted?
And the big "What if?" Financial security.
What are your "what if"s? If you feel brave enough, list just one here in the comments. After all, I hear that if you put it into the Universe, it might just respond, n'est-ce pas?
And a happy Monday to you all. I am feeling just a bit philosophical this morning, so bear with me.
Today's question is "What if...?"
What if you could do what you want without fear? If money were no option? If you could wave a magic wand and change a thing or two?
Would you travel more? Spend more time with friends and family? Do something totally different with your life? It's an interesting proposition, isn't it?
What if Michael had meetings that took us to our favorite spots? the Pacific Northwest, and also the Atlantic Coast, with stops in Houston, or wherever else we wanted?
And the big "What if?" Financial security.
What are your "what if"s? If you feel brave enough, list just one here in the comments. After all, I hear that if you put it into the Universe, it might just respond, n'est-ce pas?
16 June 2015
21 April 2015
Paris in 3 minutes
Bonjour tout le monde,
It's been awhile since I've posted. Nothing wrong or major, just busy - but I must get my prioritites straight. So, I will have a longer post very soon (like this week soon) but in the meantime, enjoy 3 minutes of Paris. I know I did.
Paris in 3 minutes
It's been awhile since I've posted. Nothing wrong or major, just busy - but I must get my prioritites straight. So, I will have a longer post very soon (like this week soon) but in the meantime, enjoy 3 minutes of Paris. I know I did.
Paris in 3 minutes
13 February 2015
Staying like a native in Paris
Bonjour tout le monde!
I was given the wonderful opportunity to visit Paris and to stay in an apartment. The last time I was in Paris and lived "like a native", I was 20 and a junior at Stanford. Then, I lived in a boarding house in the 7th arrondissement with some of my Stanford classmates. We had a great time, and I felt like a Parisienne.
This time, our apartment was in the Auteuil village area of Paris, in the 16th arrondissement. My husband and I had the opportunity to stay in this apartment for a special birthday week in Paris, because I did some work for the owner. She lives there part time, and does indeed rent it out. It is a spacious place, beautifully and thoughtfully furnished, with living room, a small study with a desk, a wonderfully huge bedroom with lots of storage and a queen sized bed. The kitchen is big and has all that you need to make dinner if you don’t want to eat out. We might not have used the stove often, but it was lovely to relax every morning with coffee and baguette in our own space. There is also a washing machine, separate dryer, and dishwasher, just in case you need them!
I was given the wonderful opportunity to visit Paris and to stay in an apartment. The last time I was in Paris and lived "like a native", I was 20 and a junior at Stanford. Then, I lived in a boarding house in the 7th arrondissement with some of my Stanford classmates. We had a great time, and I felt like a Parisienne.
This time, our apartment was in the Auteuil village area of Paris, in the 16th arrondissement. My husband and I had the opportunity to stay in this apartment for a special birthday week in Paris, because I did some work for the owner. She lives there part time, and does indeed rent it out. It is a spacious place, beautifully and thoughtfully furnished, with living room, a small study with a desk, a wonderfully huge bedroom with lots of storage and a queen sized bed. The kitchen is big and has all that you need to make dinner if you don’t want to eat out. We might not have used the stove often, but it was lovely to relax every morning with coffee and baguette in our own space. There is also a washing machine, separate dryer, and dishwasher, just in case you need them!
Speaking of need, there is all that you need to live just
like a native. If you want to go food
shopping, there is a rolling shopping cart that will make you feel oh so
Parisian when you venture out to one of the two grocery stores that are close
by. Having that shopping cart made it
much easier to transport the big bottles of water and all the provisions that
we got! You will also need it to check out the local open air market that occurs
twice a week.
One of the coolest things about the apartment is that it is
so close to transportation, both the Metro and the bus. A quick 5 minute walk gets you to either stop
or station, and it was easy to get into the center of Paris! If you need anything to help you navigate
public transportation, you can find it in the apartment – maps, tourist guides,
wifi for downloading the Paris Metro map onto your smartphone before leaving.
Valerie has provided all that you need to have a wonderful experience in Paris,
whether this is your first time, or you’re a veteran Parisian visitor.
What my husband and I really loved was that the apartment
felt homey and cozy, but that there is enough room that keeps you from feeling
crowded. The Auteuil neighborhood feels
just like the village that it used to be; when you stay here, please take the
time to explore that area, too!
We loved this place
and hope to make it our “home away from home” next time we visit. You should check it out, also.
If you are visiting the south of France, she also has a place right in the middle of Aix-en-Provence!
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| Watching the Super Bowl - in the apartment! |
10 February 2015
Le Super Bowl - French Style
Bonjour tout le monde!
There are many things that we American sports fans take for granted. Baseball, basketball, football on television, with the commentator teams that we know and love. So, what happens when we watch an American sport outside the US?
I had the pleasure of watching Super Bowl XLIX on French television. The first thing is that the game came on at midnight in most of Europe, thanks to a six hour time difference. The commentator crew were French, so included in all the usual commentary, these guys also explained the game of American football in between plays. Things like "There are 52 or 53 players on each team, although only 11 are on the field at the same time." They had to talk about how the game was played, and the different positions the players had. About the only position that didn't have to be explained was the quarterback, or perhaps I wasn't paying attention. The fun was when the play was bad. The commentary was usually started with "Oh la la la la la..." (it isn't what most Americans think of, this one is expressed with a tone of disapproval; it's great).
Missng the US feed also meant that we missed the commercials that were shown in the States. But of course now we can get those online, so it was good. We did get the half time extravaganza, and we wondered about those sharks dancing with Katy Perry just like many of you did back here.
By the time the game was over, it was 4 am, and naturally we were pretty bowled over by the last play. The commentators were also flummoxed by that last Seattle play and plenty of "oh la la la la's" were said by the guys. However, we were very very, very tired, so went to bed.
Quel Super Bowl...
There are many things that we American sports fans take for granted. Baseball, basketball, football on television, with the commentator teams that we know and love. So, what happens when we watch an American sport outside the US?
I had the pleasure of watching Super Bowl XLIX on French television. The first thing is that the game came on at midnight in most of Europe, thanks to a six hour time difference. The commentator crew were French, so included in all the usual commentary, these guys also explained the game of American football in between plays. Things like "There are 52 or 53 players on each team, although only 11 are on the field at the same time." They had to talk about how the game was played, and the different positions the players had. About the only position that didn't have to be explained was the quarterback, or perhaps I wasn't paying attention. The fun was when the play was bad. The commentary was usually started with "Oh la la la la la..." (it isn't what most Americans think of, this one is expressed with a tone of disapproval; it's great).
Missng the US feed also meant that we missed the commercials that were shown in the States. But of course now we can get those online, so it was good. We did get the half time extravaganza, and we wondered about those sharks dancing with Katy Perry just like many of you did back here.
By the time the game was over, it was 4 am, and naturally we were pretty bowled over by the last play. The commentators were also flummoxed by that last Seattle play and plenty of "oh la la la la's" were said by the guys. However, we were very very, very tired, so went to bed.
Quel Super Bowl...
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| The snacks were a bit different, too. I tried to record the commentary, but didn' t do a very good job. Just think of French guys talking about our American sport... |
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